Space, Sci-Fi and Broadway

[Clyde15]

Im curious on peoples thoughts on why we dont see more Space related and Sci-Fi musicals/plays on Broadway. I think there could be some incredible source material to adapt. Also with the universe being limitless there are endless stories to be told about Space.

Ive had this thought upon coming across this song on YouTube. Its based upon a video game called The Outer Worlds. But this song sounds just like it could be from a modern musical.

https://youtu.be/vvANy49Kqhw

[JBroadway]

It's just hard to do sci-fi and space travel justice onstage because the scale is so massive. You can do a play about a bunch of astronauts in a shuttle, but it's hard to capture a grand sense of adventure across planets and galaxies. It's not that it can't be done (and I'm sure it has been done), but it just doesn't lend itself naturally to the medium.

One my personal favorite movies is Interstellar (controversial, I know) but one of my favorite things about it is that it makes such brilliant use of its medium. It's a story with such immense scale, across such massive distances, with such complex physical distortions to their physical surroundings, that it can only work in the medium of cinema. 

Interstellar is just an example, but I think the same could be said of many other space travel stories. 

 

[greensgreens]

I think Via Galactica got it right in some ways - you'd need real creative staging to create that alternate world/universe feel. Perhaps with a real strong story/book the space concept could work with a very inventive creative team.

Ok, now that I'm thinking about it, I want Julie Taymor to do Star Wars: The Musical or 2001: A Space Musical now!!!

[veronicamae]

^^^^ I agree on the limitations a small theatrical space place on showing massive space/time situations.

As a lover of space and sci-fi movies, the first option that came to mind as being able to work on a stage was The Martian.

75% of the movie takes place in a fixed place (the surface of Mars) with the only other settings being 1) a space shuttle (briefly), 2) a space station, and 3) government facilities/mission control.

It's entirely possible that could be done effectively with a combination of innovative special effects/projections/etc.

What about that New Jersey production of Alien that went viral a couple of years ago? That was well-received, was it not? (I don't remember.)

[kaykordeath]

About 10 years ago, when the Marvel Films were just picking up speed, and Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films were coming to their conclusion, you couldn't swing a magic wand without hitting a news story/puff piece about the rise of Sci Fi and nerd/geek culture.

And Spider-Man was the beginning and end of Broadway's attempt to ride that train.

But I always thought there was a missed opportunity for more Sci-Fi/nerd friendly shows.

I always thought it would have been the perfect time to revive Starmites.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

I'd love to see more stagebound sci-fi. Marjorie Prime was fantastic, and there was an adaptation of Solaris in the UK last year that was apparently quite good. I could easily imagine Arrival getting an effective stage treatment as well, but there are lots and lots and lots of great sci-fi and speculative fiction short stories that could just as easily be adapted.

[Clyde15]

JBroadway said: "It's just hard to do sci-fi and space travel justice onstage because the scale is so massive. You can do a play about a bunch of astronauts in a shuttle, but it's hard to capture a grand sense of adventure across planets and galaxies. It's not that it can't be done (and I'm sure it has been done), but it just doesn't lend itself naturally to the medium.
"

That’s a completely fair. I hadn’t thought much about the scale difference between theatre and cinema. And I guess special effects would require a large budget and high weekly grosses to make it profitable. 
 

Still I hope to one day see some crossover. I love the idea of Arrival. I think it’s a fascinating movie And would be quite an interesting adaption as a play

 

 

[Lot666]

I've often wondered if E.T. might work as a stage musical. It's about an alien, but it doesn't require the staging of space travel.

[DiscoCrows]

I haven't seen it so I can't comment on how applicable it is to the "space" theme but based on it's reception up to this point in time, it definitely seems like Back to the Future (which is going to the West End soon, I think?) is charting a new path for this sort of thing, especially in the sci-fi department. Based on the limited amount of press that's out for the show right now, the tech looks awesome.

[ggersten]

There are lots of SF stories that would not require massive scope.  You just need to pick the right one or three!

Flowers for Algernon (which is a play)

Isaac Asimov's The Ugly Little Boy could be a terrific play.  Asimov's The Naked Sun is a murder mystery with robots. Little action. I don't recall much otherworldlly set - other than could be done with backdrop or projection. 

Bradbury's Mars stories are mostly talk, talk, talk and could be adapted for the stage. There was a not great mini-series (with Rock Hudson!) but several of the stories were adapted for radio. 

Wells' The Time Machine could be interesting - some stage magic as the Machine is operated and sets change in the dark.  Costuming of the Morlocks may be the main difficulty. 

I'd probably like to see something like The Apple Tree - where there would be multiple stories - as some of my favorite SF tales are short stories. It's just hard seeing those stories stretched to 90-120 minutes. 

 

 

[Owen22]

I think there have actually been two different musicals based on Flowers for Algernon.

Alan Menken wrote and Off Broadway Syfy musical called Weird Romance. First time I ever saw Danny Bernstein I think...

[Kad]

The limits of live performance really risk making sci-fi stories look really hokey and campy. Little Shop of Horrors leans into this, but it's of course a comedy and sendup of B movies.

There was a small off-off-off Broadway play a few years back called Spaceman, which was a one-woman show about the first astronaut to journey to Mars. It was set entirely in her space capsule, depicted in a realistic size, and zero-g was simulated remarkably well through the actor's body movement and clever use of props and art direction. It was extremely convincing, even at the small scale of the production itself. It kept things realistic and not fantastical- harder sci fi.

The play... fine. But the production and the performance are what really sold it and made a case for stuff like that onstage.

Spaceman

 

[JBroadway]

veronicamae said: "^^^^ I agree on the limitations a small theatrical space place on showing massive space/time situations.

As a lover of space and sci-fi movies, the first option that came to mind as being able to work on a stage was The Martian.

75% of the movie takes place in a fixed place (the surface of Mars) with the only other settings being 1) a space shuttle (briefly), 2) a space station, and 3) government facilities/mission control."
 

But even with most of the action taking place in isolated locations, I just don't think it would work on an emotional level. Because again, the medium of cinema allows to FEEL that sense of vast distance. I can just imagine Watney onstage in the hub, only to have the set slide offstage, and the NASA office slides on. We just saw Watney slide offstage, so it's harder to buy that he's on another planet. It's not that we can't suspend our disbelief that he's millions of miles away, but the nature of theatre is such that we will always know that he's in the same space. In fact, that's one of the beautiful things about theatre: it can take characters who are far away from each other, and represent them in a shared space where a metaphorical closeness can be communicated (think, for example, the recent Betrayal revival, where the offstage character remains onstage to observe). In this case, we would want the exact opposite; we want to feel that vast, otherworldly distance between characters, and the true sense of isolation that would come from being the only human being on a planet. 

Again, we can suspend our disbelief - but for what purpose? What would the medium of theatre offer the story that isn't offered in film or in the novel? And again, I'm not saying there's NO way to do it well. But whoever tackles the project would have to contend with these difficult questions, and find answers besides "because I can." 

 

[James885]

Agreed. I think especially when it comes to space operas and other stories set in space or on distant worlds, the medium of theatre is at a disadvantage in that there's really no way to successfully evoke the wonder of other planets, or the vastness of space in the way cinema can. 

[Charley Kringas Inc]

On the other hand, evoking loneliness and claustrophobia, which are both common elements in sci fi, are very well-suited to the stage.

[Wayman_Wong]

I agree with Kad: It's hard to do sci-fi or space stories onstage without looking hokey or campy. Anyone remember ''Starmites''? Even in the skimpy season of 1989, it racked up 6 Tony nominations, including Best Musical. But the Tonys were so underwhelmed by that year's new musicals that they dumped the categories of Best Book and Best Score.

Here's Angela Lansbury introducing ''Starmites'' at the Tonys ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvRLrtOdsqo

[Charley Kringas Inc]

I mean...

[ImaginaryManticore]

I'd love to see a sci-fi musical done well. The difficulty with a lot of classic sci-fi is that a lot of them tend to be stories of ideas. They don't revolve around characters' wants and relationships, because it's more about their reactions to the world around them. Not a lot of drama, I guess. But there are exceptions.

I think some of the less literal aspects of theatre would really lend itself to speculative fiction. You're not stuck in real time, like on film, and you can deal with ideas in an abstract way, which doesn't work as well onscreen. I could imagine sci-fi stories being told as a concept musical. I can see Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, which has already been mentioned, being done that way, or as a play. I'd also love to see an original story using a less linear structure, like Company or Hair.

I'm convinced that the right production in the right space could evoke the kind of wonder you get on film. If they had a good sound design and a big stage vanishing into darkness, or using lights, it might work. I bet the National Theatre would manage it. One of the most spectacular things I've seen in any medium was their production of His Dark Materials, which had travelling between worlds.

[Jarethan]

I can't say that seeing a science fiction focused musical appeals to me particularly, since I am not an enormous fan of the genre to begin with.  I can't help thinking that a very visual director might succeed.  Of course, I probably just referenced Julie Taymor, so maybe I am wrong.  OF course, for me, the best parts of Spiderman were visuals created by her.  Of course, the show itself had a lousy book, for me a mediocre, unmemorable score, and some of the set pieces (e.g., introducing the bad guys, one more elaborately dressed than the previous one) just didn't work.  They seemed pointless, probably because the book and score were lame.

So, I will temper that...if the people responsible for the book and music (if it is a musical) are successful, the right director can make it work.  I immediately think of Alex Timbers, who I think has done some really brilliant work.  Nell, give Bartlett Sher a large stage and he could be successful, although he still has not participated in the creation of a new musical, which offers additional challenges.

[sabrelady]

As of 2017 there was a musical version of The Martian Chronicles planned. Where that went is anybodies guess.

I just rewatched The Martian and I think an awful lot ( esp on backstory) that would be lost w/out the grand scope of space itself as a backdrop. I expect if multimedia side screens were involved w taped play it could be done and the special effect could be maintained. ( And I cheerfully admit I'd like a song "Science the sh!t out of this"

I looked at some other so called hard science stuff like Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle and even Robert Heinlein and much is very military  colonist in theme though some are more social science.   Asimov might be a bit more adaptable- he has a comic short story on a  Martian sherlock holmes.  But I think its the Robot stories that would work esp well  ( never mind what the damn Will Smith movie did with it) Harlan Ellison published an  unproduced script that had some interesting elements  that could be incorporated. ( Harlan and his wife have both passed so the estate might more open to negotiation)  A lot of the newer hard SF ( like the Three Sun Problem series) could not be adapted  due to all the computer game elements.

What about computer games? Anything there that could be adapted? ( not a part of my former FAnish life so cant' comment)

 

 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Jarethan said: "Nell, give Bartlett Sher a large stage and he could be successful, although he still has not participated in the creation of a new musical, which offers additional challenges."

Other than The Light in the Piazza, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and The Bridges of Madison County. 

[Mark Waltz]

"Mars Attacks!" could be very funny as an Off Broadway musical, at a medium sized theater perhaps. Imagine of all the songs in the world what they could use as the one that makes their heads explode! The singing and dancing Martians would be hysterical to watch, and the Martian disguised as a sex bomb could have a great dance number with the Martin Short character before it annihilates him.

[suzycat]

I enjoyed “Eugenius!” in London a few years ago - I could see it working at New World Stages.

http://www.eugeniusthemusical.com/

[Mr Roxy]

In addition to Via I saw a real gem called Warp .It was to be a space saga in 3 parts. Part one was titled My Battleground My Body. Critics roasted it and it closed quickly almost immediately and I never saw the other 2 parts. Still have the color Playbill

[Call_me_jorge]

I think sci fi story like Arrival, Interstellar, or The Martian could be well suited for the stage since they are primarily character driven and don’t really rely on big flash cgi stuff to get their message across.